Battery-connector.



J. H. GUGLBR. BATTERY CONNECTOR. APPLIGATION FILED JAILzz. 1909.

Patented oct. 1o, l1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

LOUJQQ.

IBI..

J. H. GUGLER. BATTERY CONNECTOR. APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 22, 1909.

Presentel Oct. 10, 1.911.

3 SHEETS*SEEET 2.

J. H. GUGLER. BATTERY CONNECTOR. APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 22. 1909.

9 Z NM n aogeo UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

JUL'IUS H. GUGLER, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

BATTERY-CONNECTOR. i v

`Speeiication of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. v1o, 1911.

AppIicaton filed January 22, 1909. Serial No. 473,637.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIUs I-I. GUGLER, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, have invented a Battery-Connector, of which the'following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrlc batteries more particularly primary batteries, and has for its objectto provide an improved non-corrosive connectorwhich is especiallyadapted for use upon the carbon element ofl stance of the carbon and corrode the metal where it is in contact with it, thus impairlng the electric continuity of thecircuit. Furthermore it is the case with all kinds of battery terminals, whether on carbon or metal elements, that the acid fumes corrode the copper or brass posts and terminalplates, even between the contact of the wire and terminal, or in two metal arts, so" as to impair their contact; and rther corrodes .the surface of the exposed metal parts generally so as, to impair the ap earance` and neatness of the same and gra ually to destroy them. This is particularly true in the .case of those batteries `which contain strong depolarizing chemicals such as `free-V vchlorin or nitric acid, which tends to prevent the use of such reagents in commercial practice. v y f It is the object of the resent invention to provide means for obviating these diliif culties and maintaining at all times perfect contact between the carbon and metal terl minal thereof, aswell as between the latter and the wire; and further, to provide a re movable bindingupostor terminal .for the jcarbon which, if corroded, canl be removed fromthe latter at any time-and. replaced by 3. DOW One.

I further aim in eneral to,k rovide Suche'` removable termina lorv bin ing post'A not simply for the' carbon -"elenient of prt-irnfllyv but -for either f the elemim'tsof y batteries, primary or secondary batteries,-

best 21m x My invention comprises as one of its main features a means of surrounding and impregnating the parts in contact between the terminal and battery element with-oil or similar nonpermeable or impervious and non-corrodlble l1qu1d;` and secondarlly, to

provide an oil-submerged bindi-n -post for v and cirthe contact between the termina cuit-lead. l

There are numerous ways in which the principles of my invention may be carried a out, each of which may be the most practical for certain circumstances of use. 'l

I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings some of the principal forms which the. invention may assume.

In these drawings, Figure 1 isa lon '-'l tudinal section of a battery element (t e'.

element here shownis supposed to be of carbon) provided with my improved 'connector. Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof on the plane 2. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through a portion of a battery element p-rovided with a different form of con-l i nector. Fig. 4 is a plan-section thereof taken on -the plane 4.a Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through a ortion of a bat,

teryv elementshowing a third form of `connector.` Fig. 6 is a plan section thereof on the plane 6.' Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sec-- tiro-n through a portion of a battery element showing a fourth form of connector. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section through a ortion of a battery element showing a fifth` orm of connector. Fig. 9 is a plan section thereofv on the plane 9. Fig. 10 is a longitudinal"l -section through a portion of a battery ele-rv Y ment showing Fig. 1.1 is a a portion ora battery element showing3 a seventh form of connector, this battery ing adapted more lparticularly to storage battery-plates and other metal elements.

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section hrough a p 'l connector; and Fig. 13 is a plan ,section battery element showing an eighth form of therethrough taken on the'plane 13.-4 v

In these drawings every referenceletter" fand numeral refers valways to thesame part-.

The

formssuccessively f ,i 11n' vtheflrst forms, tiei-.Iterminalh ost' A of a carbon element of anysu't'able esi'gn; which forms no -mateprinciple of the invent-ion may be erstood .describing. the concrete Y a slxth form of4 connector. ongitudinal section through rigs. 1y mais shown rial part ofi ther'present inver'itic'in` i'llhisf post is hollowed out to forma cupfreces's'a and at the 4bottom thereof a second and deeper recess a2. vInto thesides of the re-v cess a2 are drilled oblique holes ,a",.and,.4 a metal plug is then castA in so as to'co'rnpletely lill the recesses a? and athemetal fillng the latter ,recesses forming lu'gS b', which e ectively prevent the plug from turning in its place or pulling out.l 'I he material ofthe plug should be some metal which expands on cooling, such as for example an alloy of antimony, wherebytthe x'etal forces-.v itself -more' closely and firmly againstthe' carbon lwalls and tends to ,force 1tself into the pores thereof. In the center ofthe plug B is cast a terminal C which, as"shown,'projects above the top of the pluginto'recess a and isV provided on its end with a -bindingf nut4 D and washer d', for `securing the-end of the circuit-wire E as shown. One or more Y`holes b2 are bored longitudinally in the plug -after setting, their upper* ends being shown. enlarged in the ldrawing soas to leave the v A nonpermeable or holes open at the to impervious liquid, suc as oil O, 1s poured into tlie cup-shaped recess a', filling-the latter and the. holes b2, and the porosity -ofthe carbon enables the oill t'o percolate through the pores thereof at the bottom andaround the sides vof the plug'an'd thereby absolutely seal the contactual-surface' against access 'of corrosive acid. Furthermore ther oil .com-

s petely'covers the terminal-contact.surfaces forms an additional recess for-oil,whichfisandv so prevents any corrosion thereof.rv Meanssuclr as 'holes d? areprovided inthe top 'face of the nut D .whereby the Alatter ,can`

. be easily. z..turnedjand vti htened'by the ap. 'plication of a pin-wrenx `,The top' of the recess a* 1s.I conveniently provided'with a 'cover vF of porcelain, glass orfother Suitable material, which prevents spilling and evaperation of the oil, said cover. having a notch f .at one side to leave exit for lwir'e E and a.

" lled with o il lfrom time to time.

central hole f? through which, recessie can be In the second'form'of connector shownin own tightlwithout'fcontact with the bottom thereof; and the emptyrspace below the plug'` connected with the recess alby a .groove a4` formed in the carbon'at. one iside ofthe plug;

whereby the oil lhas ready. access to' the bot ments are the same as previously Oil Oft :carbon around the metal contact and thoroughly'impregnates it with oil sothat the tom of the plug and assists in surrounding and impregnating the surface of the carbon. {.In .the third form, Figs. 5 and 6 the eledescribed with the exception that I use a corrugated or star-shaped plugH, which may be either cast or driven; the object gained by the corrugated or luted form being that a greater extent of surface 'is provided for a givensized plug.

y InFig; 7 is shown a carbon element I having a single taper recess z" into which is ,drlven a hollowl cup-shaped metal contactplug J this latter extending to some distance below the top, whereby the oil O over,

iows the edge as shown, and thereby penetrates tothe bottom. In the bottom of the plug J is tixed'the "terminalLscrew Kby pouring in a body of fusible metal, L, thus casting it in place. Holes j may be' bored l through the latterk and cup J giving the oil direct yaccess to the bottom.

I VIn Fig. 8 I have shown a removable terminal or binding-post M detachably con.

nected by a submerged oil-contact with a hollow tubular contact-plug N, which is permanently mounted in the recess p of the battery-element P. The plug N has its upper portiony n fitting tightly within the re- 'cess1 .p and a beveled flange on its upper edge, which rests upon the surface of the carbon," and for electrical contact-between themetalfand carbon I provide a film of ,electro-plated metal g (this being necessarily gshown inthe drawing'much exaggerated in thickness) lwhich is itself covered to prevent` corrosion by a layer'of asphalt com= pound g.l The lower portion n3 of the plug N is contracted -as shown` so as to leave an `oil-reservoir p? outside the plug,.this being connected with the interior cup ofthe plug by. holes n* in the wall of the latter. The

bottom of the plug is bored'l and interiorly ,threaded .to receive thethreaded end of the,

stem m of the binding-post M, which latter ismountedrupon a pedestal or cover R of f porcelain, glass, liber, or like material, and 1s proyided with a threaded boss r" screwing intov an interior thread ns on the upper part ofthe lug N. p On filling the reservoirwith lie latter escapes into that'part of the contact-surfaces cannot be reached byvacid,

'and the electrical-contact between the terminal'y M and. the plug N is alsor oil-covered.

Inthis case for greater convenience the congnection'fwith the battery-lead' E is exterior (here shown in the usual binding-post form' 'of 'au screw m2 or similar device); sothat .'after'the post M has been in use vfor, a time andhas become corroded it-` can bel readily unscrewed andreplaced by a new one. Y In Fig-10 is shown another method whereby the oil-contact may`be secured, the same surrounding the plug S and forming a reserl voir for the oil O. To facilitate the im} 11regy nation of the carbon by the oil, tubular pasis adapted especially .for storage-,batteryplates or connecting-bars, a portion of-'one of which, U, is shown having a post u" at one point of its length, this post being hollowed out interiorlyby a recess u2.

threaded end of the stemwv formed o n the v terminal'W;v The side of thestem w passes throughthe central hole in a screw-cap(l of iber, rubber or'like material, which engages with interior threads a3 in the recess u. -The .terminal W is formed with an .elbow .cu2 at the base of which is ashoulder w3 which is screwed down upon. the surfaceof'the cap X in order to tighten it, and at vrightangles to the stem w a screw-stem fw* carrying the binding-nut Y and washers -y for the purposefof securing the circuit lead thereto. The object of zmaking the terminal W .with an lbw is to avoid twisting the stem w in such manner as -to-tend to loosen the sleeve V of the terminal in its position.' lIn ordinary practice the sleeve V is made of copper and 1s cast in place in the recess u on the connectingfbar Ui, though of course the sleeve may be otherwise placed and secured if desired.l

In ligs. 12 and 13 is shown a Acarbon or graphite element 21 having a cast plugl 22 of metal, preferably of metal which expands on cooling so as to force 'itself into thepores of the carbon. The cavity 23 in the element 2l in which the plug iscast ismade undercut so that an upward pull thereon draws it v more closely into contact` with theelement 2l and diminishes the electrical .resistance.;

rllhey upper end of the cavity 23 'is' made cyfiber or other noncorrodible material, -said cover having an aperture in the icent'er through which' passes the stem 30 of vther bindingpost 31,- the stem 30 being threaded at 32 to en a e a threadedaperture .i331 in the center vo t eplug 22, sothat in securing the binding-'post 31 up into place the shoul.-v

In thev 'bottom of the recessu,2 is a metal sleeve V which is threaded internally to 'receivegthe' shown' in the drawing der 3d at'the base' ofthe stem 30 is'brough't to abut against the'covet` 29 and the. plug 22 is drawnupwardly and thuswedged more i ytightly into contact with the carbon the harder the binding-post is turned. 'The binding-post here shown is made tubular and provided with binding-screws 35 on its sageways t3 are bored from the channel t? tothe surface ofthe plug S, this bringing the oil intodirect contact with the surface. The form of connector shown in Fig. l1

sides, although any-other type'may be used Ail desired. In the plug 22 are boredsmallv .passages36 which permit the oil to pass to the lower side of the plug and thereby assist in distributing the o-il -overlthe contact-surfaces; and to prevent theplug 22 from turning linplaceand thus becoming loose, a pair of small recesses 37 are bored in thebottom of the recess 23 to-form anchor-studs 38 on opposite sides of the central axis.

In all' carbon vorgraphite electrodes where the plug is cast in place, I have found it desirable if not vessential tov treat the element after casting the plug by-boiling the projecting post or other portion surrounding the vplug in an. acid and moisture-repellent compound, as .for example paraflin, until the latter has thoroughly impregnated and completely filled the pores of the carbon. This treatment v,makes the carbon nonporous and thus prevents the oil from diffusing through the carbon beyond the imme-diate vicinity of its application. V In those caseswhere a taper plug 1s used which is pushed or driven into place, this impregnation y,can take place before inserting the plug.

.Ilhave found thatthe use of an oil protective bath is especially effective in preventingcorrosion, electrolytic action and oxidation of the contacts and in making the quality of'theelectrical contact permanent and unalterable.

Contacts which are protected with oilin the manner of my 1nvention show `no increase of resistance even after prolonged use and the oil serves the further 'purpose of lubricating the parts which are ,have successfully employed for the purpose a heavyl paraflin-oil, but it is obvious that other kinds of oil may be used if desired, andfmy invention is not 'limited to the use of .any special form of terminal or materials of construction. Other forms than those and which embrace thefsame principle will suggest themselves 4'to -those skilled in the fartandvI do not thereforek consider my invention further limited than .by the reasonable scope`of my claims.

Having .thus described my invention, what I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l

1. In an electric battery, in combination with an electrode of porous `material, a mem- 13() After treatment" the cavity in the electrode is carefully scraped .Ito remove any Vsurplus compound kadhering to its surface.

ber making electrical contact with said electrode, and a bath of nonconducting liquid impervious to an electrolyte, said bath permeating the pores of the electrode and sur- 'rounding the contact between said electrode and said member.'

2. In an electric battery, the combination; of an electrode of porous materiallhaving a cavity therein forming a well or reservoir,

an acid-resisting material'impregnating and filling the pores of said electrode, an electric connecting member making contact with said electrode within said cavity, and a quantity of nonconducting acidresisting liquid surrounding said contact and filling the vacant spaces in said cavity.

. 3. In an electric battery, an electrode of'A porous material'l having a cavity therein, an

electric connecting-plug socketed in said caving-member.

5. An electrode having ,a cavity therein forming a well or reservoir, an electric connecting-plug seated in said cavityand forming an electrical connection with said electrode, a quantity of nonconducting, nonpermeable or impervious liquid in said cavity inclosing the exposed-surfaces of the plug, a cover closing the mouth of said cavity and having a perforation therein, and a the exposed surfaces of said terminal-member having a stem passing fthro'ugh said perforation and detachabl-y engaging said connecting-member below the surface of lsaid liquid.

6. In an electric battery, an electrode having a cavity therein, an electric connectingplug socketedin the bottom of said cavity and having athreaded portion at the upper end thereof, a member engaging said kthreaded port-ion, and a quantity of acid-resisting, nonpermeable or impervious liquid contained in said cavity and surroundin and covering p ug and member within said cavity. f

7. In an electric battery an electrode hav-- ing a cavity therein, an electric connectingplug socketed in the bottom of said cavity and havin a threaded portion at the upper end thcreoif, a member engaging said threaded portion,.a quantity of acid-resisting, nonvpermeable or impervious liquid contained 1n said' cavity and surrounding and coverplugsocketed in said cavity and havi ing the exposed surfaces of said plug andl member within said cavity, and a cover closing the open end of said cavity.

8. In an electric battery, the 4combination of an electrode having a cavity therein, a

onev or more passages from the upper to the ower end thereof, a binding-post on the upper end of said plug, and a quantity of Voil 1n said cavity covering the exposed surfaces of said binding-post and plug. v

9. In an electric battery, the combination of an electrode of porous material having a cavity therein, an electric-connecting plug socketedin said cavity, said plug having a passageway from the top to the bottom of said cavit whereby to conduct oil to the lower sur ace' of said cavity, a terminal on said plug, and a quantity of oil filling said cavity, surrounding said terminal, and 1mpregnating the pores of said electrode surrounding the `contact-surfaces.

10.I In an Ielectric battery, in combination with an electrode vhaving la cavity therein,

the lower .portion of said cavity being undercut, an electric connector in the form of a plug filling the under-cut portion of said cav1ty and having a threaded aperture, a tubular member mounted on said electrode concentric vwith said cavity and forming an extension thereof at the top, a cover ittin yover the top of said tubular member an having 'a central aperture, a terminal member seated onsaid cover and having a threaded stem passing through the aperture thereof and engaging in the threaded aperture of said connector, andA a quantity of oil in the reservoir formed by said cavlty and tubular member. e v

11. In an electric battery, in combination with an electrode having a cavity therein, the lower portion of said cavity being under'- cut, an electric connector in the form of a plug filling the under-cut portion of said cavity and having a threaded aperture, a tubular membermounted on said electrode concentric with said cavity and forming an extension thereof at the top, a cover fitting over thel top of said tubular member and havin a central aperture, a terminal member seate on said cover and having a threaded stem aty passing throu h the aperture thereof and engaging in t e threaded aperture-of. said connector, and a quantity of oil 1n the reser- Ivoir formed by said cavity and tubular member; said yconnector having one or more passageways extendingv from the top to the bottom thereof atthe sides of the central threaded aperture, thereby assisting oil to pass to and impregnate said electrode in the parts surrounding the contact-surfaces.

12. In an electric battery, in combination with an electrode having a `cavity therein the lower portion of .whlch 1s comcally undercut, an electric connector 1n the form of a conical frustum lilling the undercut portion of said cavity and having a central threaded aperture and one or more passagev'vays from top to bottom at the side of said aperture, the upper edge of said cavity being rabbeted, a gasket of packing material seated .in the rabbet, a tubular member of noncorrosive material Such as glass seated on said gasket and cemented around t-he periphery to said electrode, a cover closing the upper end of said tube and having a central aperture, a terminal member having a shoulder seated on said cover and a threaded stem passing through said central aperture and engaging the threaded aperture in said plug, and a quantity of oil in the reservoir formed by said cavityand tube combined.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of January, 1909.

.JULIUS H. GUGLER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE W. CoLLEs, MINNIE D. SCHIENBEIN. 

